Snapshots
by SuperGroverAway
Summary: A collection of short slices of life centered around everyone's favorite twins as they go from day to day in the oddest place on earth.
1. Gotcha

Hey, so this is more or less going to be where I post all the various little things that aren't long enough to be separate stories in their own right, but I'd still like to share with the fan community for the heck of it. Hope you enjoy these odds and ends! - **SGA**

* * *

><p>The boy was intently leafing through the old journal yet again. He had been so absorbed in its mysteries and enigmatic notes for long that he didn't realize he was long overdue for an interruption, which is exactly what barged into the attic a few seconds later.<p>

"Dipper, watch out!" His twin charged into their shared bedroom at top speed with a sharp warning. "I'm not wearing any pants!"

Dipper spent the next few moments in the clutches of a total panic. He let out a hoarse yelp, then scuttled back to the corner of his bed as he threw Journal Number Three up over his face. "Mabel, c'mon! Seriously, how did you even….lose….your…."

Realization dawned. He lowered the book with a mighty groan. Mabel meanwhile was a veritable fountain of giggles as she triumphantly bounced up and down. True to her word, she wasn't wearing any pants at all. She was however appropriately garbed in her usual skirt and sweater combination.

"Got yooouuuuu!" She sang happily before breaking out into a small victory dance. As soon as the celebration was over, she whipped out a feather-topped glitter pen and a brightly bedazzled notepad.

"Oh, no." Dipper protested. "If you're gonna keep doing this, can you at least not keep score?"

"Nope!" She was all too eager to jot down her latest win before proudly showing off the current stats. "We're now at three to zip, bro-bro….."


	2. Get It?

"Shoob-ba-da-boop-ba-boo….replacin' a window….gonna get that glass all up on that pane….ba-ba-da-doo…" Soo improvised a tune as he pulled up to the Shack. No sooner had he stepped out of his trusty old pickup when a familiar voice greeted him.

"Hey Soos!" The singsong chirp rang out from high above. He looked up, and immediately spotted the familiar brother sister duo perched up in the tall branches of a nearby tree.

"Whoa! Hambone, what are you doing up there?"

Mabel tapped her chin in playful mock-thought. "Well….by the looks of it, I guess we're making sure that this is a **_PINE_** tree!"

The bubbly tween immediately exploded with laughter. "Get it? Get it?"

She eagerly pointed back and forth between her and her brother. The silly joke immediately had her chubby friend down before trembling with mirth. Soos slapped his knee as he trembled from head to toe. "Hahaha! I get it! It's because your last name and the type of tree are similar! Hahaha! Man oh man, that's comedy gold right there. Straight up…."

He trailed off almost as soon as he began to notice all the unsettling red flags. Both the siblings were definitely looking a little banged up. And while Mabel was smiling like mad over her terrible joke, her brother cut quite a different sight. The boy hung limply over a large bough, groaning with discomfort. A moan and a rustle several feet down then alerted Soos to the fact that the twins weren't alone. A lumberjack hat tumbled down to the ground, signalling that Wendy was hidden somewhere amongst the branches.

However, most telling of all was the fact that several yards away the crashed remains of what used to be one of the golf carts.

"...Uh...so did you dudes mean to get all the way up there?" Soos's tone was now thick with worry.

"Soos, please help." Dipper shamelessly begged. "Everything went wrong…"


	3. Extras

By the time it occurred to Dipper that maybe walking around the house with his nose buried in a book wasn't the best idea, it was too late. He had already tripped over the small pig napping in the middle of the den. Waddles popped up with a start, grunted confusedly, and without a hint of ill-will the docile little animal plopped himself right back on the floor.

"Sorry, buddy." The boy gave him an apologetic pat on the head, tucked Journal Number 3 under his arm and then continued off toward the kitchen. His stomach rumbled in anticipation of a mid-afternoon snack.

"Okay, so what do we have here..." The boy pursed his lips while he browsed the fridge's offerings. Suddenly he could feel hot breath on the back of his shin. Dipper turned around and met a beady gaze.

"So you're awake now, huh?" He remarked distractedly to the hopeful swine. "C'mon, you know the rules. You get dinner same time as always in a couple hours."

Gently he pushed the nosy little pig out of his way. He then fished out a handful of carrot sticks and plodded back out of the kitchen, or at least attempted to. Dipper took two steps before he tripped and tumbled hard onto the floor with an audible smack.

"Oh, c'mon!" He craned his neck around and saw that he had tripped over Waddles. "How did you get-"

Dipper heard a hungry oink from nearby. Either he was hearing things, or Waddles had somehow mastered the art of throwing his voice. The tween nearly gave himself whiplash as he twisted his gaze and laid eyes on another fat little pig happily gobbling up the scattered carrot sticks. He nearly blew a mental fuse on the spot. There was no denying the fact that there were definitely two completely identical animals in the room with him right now.

As if things couldn't be confounding enough, he watched a third trundle in. At first, he just remained where he still lay on the floor, swamped in confusion.

"How did you…." It was then that he noticed something. All three pigs were a near dead match for his twin's beloved pet with one major exception. They had curiously faded pink hides, as if they had stepped out from an old colored photograph. This realization promptly vanquished his bewilderment as everything made complete sense.

"Mabel?" His annoyed yell rang through the Shack.

"Yeah?" She answered back with a forcefully casual tone of voice. Dipper could always tell when she was trying to play innocent. Without further ado, he hauled himself to his feet and marched straight upstairs to the attic bedroom.

"You haven't been messing around with the copier in Grunkle Stan's office, have you?" He asked loudly.

"...Noooo." She answered back only after a pregnant telltale pause.

Mabel..." Dipper groaned as he finally reached the top floor. He pushed open the door, and was confronted with the sight of his sister happily sitting smack in the center of a herd at least a dozen chubby pot-bellied pigs, all totally indistinguishable from another. The boy folded his arms let out a mighty huff of exasperation. Caught red-handed, his sister grinned sheepishly as she hugged the original Waddles close.

"Okay…," She conceded. "Maybe a little bit..."


	4. Reverse

It had only been raining for about fifteen minutes, and very lightly too. But ever since it had started, Stan had glanced out the window no less than three times. By the looks of the darkening clouds overhead, it wasn't going to be very long until the weather grew fierce.

He wasn't the only one getting a little antsy as the minutes ticked on by. His cashier kept looking up from her magazine to steal quick glances at the clock. The twins still hadn't returned from their earlier foray out into the woods. At least it was something of a comfort to see her boss show a little bit of heart for once. He was getting so worked up that he was letting his guard down, making for quite the enjoyable spectacle.

"C'mon, where are you?" He grumbled under his breath, doing his very best to sound convincingly annoyed above all else. "Yeesh. It's gonna start pouring buckets any second. Then they're gonna track mud everywhere in here, and it's just gonna be a whole thing…."

"I'll go look out for them." Wendy finally volunteered. The old man just nodded and shuffled off to his office. It was better than sticking around and watching that smirk spread across her face.

The lanky girl "borrowed" an official souvenir Mystery Shack poncho and trotted outside. She positioned herself near the edge of the woods and kept her eyes peeled for a pine tree cap bobbing off in the distance, or a telltale flash of a brightly-colored homemade sweater. Meanwhile, the skies above continued to grow thicker with every passing moment. It was only midday day, yet it looked like night had come early to the town.

Right when she had begun to think about running in to go grab a flashlight, she picked up the distinct rumble of footsteps. Her immediate relief quickly turned to confusion; that was may more racket than two preteens could make. It honestly sounded like a small stampade, which as a Gravity Falls native she had never heard before. The unfamiliar pounding quickly grew closer, and before she knew it a miniature herd sprang from out of the thick forest, coming to a halt only a few yards away from her.

Thankfully for the teenager, the Pines twins had been doing a spectacular job of getting her well-acquainted with all the oddity that apparently had been dwelling in the shadows of her hometown her entire life. Otherwise she might have panicked at the sight of the strange new arrivals. Instead she only gawked curiously.

"..._Whoa_."

There were five of them total, each and every one a walking, breathing mishmash. From the shoulders down they looked like any average human being. But In place of their necks, each one sprouted the front half of a small horse complete with an extra set of hooved feet. They snorted and agitatedly kicked the air while waiting for their passengers to disembark. A pair of slightly wet twins clambered down off the equine shoulders of two of the living absurdities.

"Wendy!" Mabel flashed brace-filled smile. "Hey!"

"Uh...hey." The unsettled teen murmured back.

"Good to see you! Give us just a sec, okay?" The girl turned to their mounts. "Thanks a million for the quick ride home! And as promised…."

Dipper stayed back as his sister handled their end of the bargain. She reached into her sweater pocket and fished out two thick handfuls of sugar cubes, which their new friends eagerly slurped up with relish. The girl squealed with laughter as their lips tickled her open palms. Once the treats were gone, one of the creatures whinnied loudly and signaled it was high time to take their leave. Teen and preteens watched as they whirled about and raced away.

"Reverse centaurs." Dipper explained simply to their older friend.

"Yeah, I was actually able to figure that out." Wendy found herself feeling unexpectedly proud about this. "Huh. Well looks like you guys took care of my weirdness quota for the week again."

"Yup." The boy conceded bluntly, He didn't need to say another word. All in all, it was just another day in the life for the three of them.

"Thanks for all your help! Bye, friends! Good-byeeeee! Bye!" Mabel waved furiously, biding an enthusiastic adieu to the strange beasts. Just her luck, as soon as the last one had disappeared from sight, something occurred to her. She snapped her fingers.. "Aw darn it! I forgot to ask them!"

"Ask them what?" Wendy pried curiously.

" I wonder where they buy their pants?" The tween innocently wondered out loud.

"I'm not sure," Dipper weighed in. "But all I can say is I'm so, **_so_** glad that they apparently found a place…."


	5. Drive Me Batty

They had just left Sir Frosty's Ice-Creamalot with double-scoops of their favorite flavors in hand. But right before they reached Soo's truck, the gentle giant nearly spooked his young friends clean out of their skins when he suddenly let out a frightened yell that echoed all the way down the length of the town's main drag. Without delay he hurled himself down on the sidewalk and covered his head like an artillery bombardment was incoming.

"Soos!" Mabel shook him with one hand as she balanced her triple scoop of chocolate peanut butter swirl with the other. "What happened?"

"You okay?" Dipper checked him over. Thankfully he seemed to be unharmed as he got up and flashed them both a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry dudes, I totally thought I saw a bat fly by. A bunch of them live here around Main Street, and they come out a lot in the summer, all flapping around and junk." He explained himself sheepishly. "Didn't want one getting in my hair or anything nuts like that, y'know?"

"Okay...but buts don't actually get caught in people's hair." The tween explained.

"Really?" He heaved loudly in reply.

"Yeah, that's just an old wives tale." Dipper was more than happy to clarify. "You don't have anything to worry about."

"Yeah! They only get in there when you let them in!" Mabel cheerfully chimed in. Her brother stopped and shot her a very puzzled look.

"...Wait…_what_?"

"Yeah, bats only get in your hair when you let them! Just like Rebecca!" she chirped. "See?"

"Okay, just who's RebeccAAAAAUUUGH!" His sister parted her brown looks and revealed a tiny brown face that gazed right back at him. Dipper nearly leapt back five feet with a massive start. "MABEL!"

"What?" She asked innocently before snuggly tucking away her friend. "It's only until that bruise on her wing heals up…."


	6. What Are You, Chicken?

"...C'mon, c'mon." Dipper scoured the yellowed pages of Journal Number Three's section on local flora. Finally he was able to identify the misleadingly-innocent looking little white plant that was behind their latest predicament. "Found it!"

"What's it called?" Mabel chirped.

"Poultry Lily." As he read out loud, he gathered up the remains of the wildflower bouquet that his sister had proudly brought in only ten minutes before. "It says here, 'Usually completely harmless, except for a small segment of the population. Some people can suffer extreme adverse side effects from immediate contact with its pollen. Anyone displaying symptoms of this allergy can be cured easily if a quarter cup of their blood is drained and mixed with….' eeesh! Okay, gross."

"We have to do _what_?" His sister disgustedly exclaimed.

"Hold on, let me see if…." Dipper hopefully shined a black light over the page. Much to his relief, he found a hidden note scribbled on the side. "'The plant's adverse effects can also be cured by consuming a three-egg scramble, slightly running, with a little black pepper.' Huh. Why didn't he just write that one down first? That's so much easier than-_WHOA_!"

He had accidentally gotten too close to Wendy, and unfortunately the teen wasn't acting like her usual self. As he gathered up the last of the poultry-lily from up off the floor, she aggressively leaned over as far as her skinny body could stretch and tried to peck him.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to-" He had to dodge her bobbing head several times before he backed out of range. "Okay, okay, sorry!"

The teen glared distrustfully at him while flapping her arms and squawking at the top of her lungs. But once she felt like she had made her point, she settled back down in the large makeshift nest that she had constructed entirely out of T-shirts and overpriced knick knacks.

"Dipper?" Mabel checked worriedly from out of sight. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Well, not really. I mean, Wendy still thinks she's a….look, I have to go to the kitchen and cook up the cure, okay?" Dipper called back to this twin. "I only need like, ten minutes! I'll get you out of there soon!"

"Okay!" A muffled squeak answered. Despite the fact that she was buried underneath her redheaded friend, Mabel sounded like she was doing quite well given the situation. She even threw in a chipper reassurance. "Don't worry, bro-bro! Take your time if you have to. It's actually pretty cozy under here!"

Dipper frankly didn't feel all that comforted. He took off like a shot. "Just ten minutes! I promise!"

With the possible predator now gone, Wendy could actually relax. As the paranormal pollen continued to wreak havoc on her mind, the broody teen began clucking softly to herself. Every now and then she would shift in order to make sure her "chick" was sufficiently warmed. As she nested, a yellow-sweater sleeved arm snaked out and gave her a gentle pat.

"You know what, Wendy?" Mabel couldn't help but sweetly marvel. "I think you're gonna make a great mom someday…"


	7. Light the Way

"...Man, I never thought a tree-golem could have so much talk about." Dipper remarked.

The day's minor foray into the paranormal had taken a little more time than the twins had planned. As a result, they now had to troop through an almost completely night-darkened forest. Only the barest sliver of light peaked out over the horizon as a final gasp from the setting sun.

"But he was nice enough to give us directions back home when he was done!" Mabel thoughtfully reminded.

"Yeah, and really good directions, too. Like, impossibly good." Her brother marveled while they passed yet another familiar landmark. "How does a guy who's permanently rooted into the ground know how to get to the Mystery Shack?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. But he was nice enough to let me take a piece of his bark!"

Dipper grimaced at the grotesque souvenir that she now waved about in his face. "Isn't that basically just part of his skin?"

"Probably!" The unsettling observation had no effect on her mood. "Whatever it is, it's definitely going right in the scrapbook when we-"

"Whoa, hold on!" He motioned for them to stop. "...Do you smell that?"

"What?"

"Smells like something's…." He sniffed the air. "Almost like something's burning."

At the moment, Mabel practically resembled a giant firefly thanks to the electric light that she had cleverly stitched into bulb design on her sweater. Until then she had been lighting their way home, but as an acrid odor began to fill the air, it looked like their return trip had hit a snap.

"Whoops!" Hurriedly she switched off her light before it overheated her specially-crafted garment. The twins were immediately bathed in the dark, left with nothing more than the weak twinkle of the stars above.

"Uh oh." Dipper gazed up at the heavens. "Okay, give me a minute. I'm pretty sure I can figure this out….first, I need to find the North Star, then..."

"It's okay, we're good!" Her smile didn't waver for even a second as she interrupted his efforts to triangulate their location. "Lucky for you, at least Mabel made sure that we came prepared."

"Huh? What do you-"

"Boop!"

He was caught completely off guard when she reached forward and pressed the left breast of his vest. Suddenly his garment lit up with a bulb-shaped electric glow. Mabel grinned at her handiwork. "See? Pretty smart, huh?"

Dipper,s surprise last for only a few moment before exasperation quickly set in. He shot her an annoyed glare. "...Okay, when did you sew this in?"

"Right after I added this one!" She tittered unrepentantly. "And Mabel said let there be LIGHT!"

The girl deftly pressed his cap, and the pine tree logo lit up. Unable to restrain herself, she snickered mischievously, "Hey, Dipper!"

"Oh, no." He immediately guessed what was incoming. "No, don't-"

"Want to keep going? Or are you feeling a little too light-headed right now?" Mabel was instantly overcome by a fierce giggle-fit.

Dipper let his obvious displeasure be known to all within hearing distance with a despairing groan. Once finished, he flicked his hand and gestured that it was high time for them to hit the trail again. As the illuminated boy lead the way, he lamented, "Is it even worth it to ask you not to go through my things?"

"Nuh-uh!" She cheerily answered with an affectionate smack on his shoulder. He accepted his fate with a combination of shrug and sigh.

"At least you're honest with me…"


End file.
